Hunters Frequencies

[huntsman2]

During hunting season I see many hunters with the dog trucks around. All the trucks have multiple antennas on them and was wondering if there was a common frequency they use or CB channel. It looks like they have CB and VHF antennas on the trucks. I am in the Augusta Area

 

[clbsquared]

Some clubs will use vhf radios. However, the second antenna you are seeing is most likely for the GPS units that are used to track the individual dogs. Each collar has its own frequency and will transmit its location and other specific data back to a receiver in the vehicle.

 

[kb4cvn]

Around my area (Amherst, Bedford & Botetourt Counties), most everyone is on VHF-Marine channels.

Occasionally when I see one parked at a local store, there is usually a cheap ChiCom portable (Baofeng, Wouxun, etc.) sitting on the dashboard.

All the Dog collars I have ever heard were in the 210-220 MHz frequency range.

 

[NZ4ZN]

Here in central VA near Louisa, many hunters regularly use VHF marine HTs. Most seem to realize they are breaking the law and do not put VHF antennas on their vehicles.

 

[huntsman2]

Thanks for the replies. It does not seem like much of a sport when they are using radios and dogs with gps tracking. At time I have seen ten trucks with dogs lined up to hunt. I will give a listen to the marine frequencies next hunting season.

 

[toastycookies]

It does not seem like much of a sport when they are using radios and dogs with gps tracking.

NASCAR uses radios and gps tracking.

 

[NZ4ZN]

Thanks for the replies. It does not seem like much of a sport when they are using radios and dogs with gps tracking. At time I have seen ten trucks with dogs lined up to hunt. I will give a listen to the marine frequencies next hunting season.

I used to think of it that way too. Now, I have hunted both ways, mostly traditional still-hunting or hunting from a stand, but some with dogs. Down here in this area of VA, many hunt with dogs and I've been invited to participate. IME, it is not at all a foregone conclusion. It is hard work to try to stay out in front of the deer and they will turn at any time, and often escape onto private property. I hunted with a group of guys with a big bunch of dogs about 6 days before getting a shot with a firearm, and candidly, I hunt fewer days than that to take an archery deer from a well placed stand.

 

[kb4cvn]

NASCAR uses radios and gps tracking.

Yeah, but when they quit hauling moonshine and bootleg liquor, and were more interested in racing and the Winston Cup, that sorta took all the fun out of it.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

I used to think of it that way too. Now, I have hunted both ways, mostly traditional still-hunting or hunting from a stand, but some with dogs. Down here in this area of VA, many hunt with dogs and I've been invited to participate. IME, it is not at all a foregone conclusion. It is hard work to try to stay out in front of the deer and they will turn at any time, and often escape onto private property. I hunted with a group of guys with a big bunch of dogs about 6 days before getting a shot with a firearm, and candidly, I hunt fewer days than that to take an archery deer from a well placed stand.

We've been known to use radios for dove hunting…just so we don't have to yell across a field that a dove is about to fly over someone unnoticed.

Hog hunting, completely different story. Got to coordinate the turkey shoot after all…you can use dogs but it's not common in my part of the world (helicopters are, we hunt the herd, not a singular hog).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tglendye]

... I am in the Augusta Area

I am in the Rockingham area and know some hunters in Augusta and Rockingham that use radios. I don't know what frequencies all of them use, but most use frequencies in the VHF-hi range as mentioned, and (some) are actually licensed.

I searched the FCC database a while back and came up with a list that I believed was used by hunters. I don't know what area of Augusta you are in, but I mainly searched the Bridgewater, Dayton, and Mt. Solon/ Sangerville area.

Most of the guys with dogs and radios are bear hunters around here.

 

[n4jri]

Some hunt clubs actually have licensed frequencies. I've noted several using what used to be trucking frequencies in the 159.48-160.200 range.

LOTS of marine. I was up on Afton Mountain during an either-sex deer day a couple of years ago, and actually heard the Coast Guard ask hunters on the Northern Neck to get off of 156.800 and the Marine Police ask them to get off of 156.850. Around Charlottesville, a lot of them were using the 157 MHz freqs set aside for Coast Guard use.

Some newer dog collars use MURS, so you'll find less hunters on those freqs. (they claim a greater range than the 210 MHz collars) There's also some bootlegging on the 2m ham band. I've heard hunters on 145.25 around Norwood.

Have heard bear hunters with dogs around Buena Vista on 156.55.

Now that game wardens are encrypted, it's actually fun to run the scanner in search mode on a busy deer day.

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[K4NNW]

Not all of the game warden traffic is encrypted (It may be up there, but I've heard them in the clear in the Roanoke Valley area).
It used to be that some hunt clubs used CB Channel 4, although at most field trials (for fox hounds), we would use Channel 5. That's been some time, though (we sold out in 2004ish). Back then, most of the tracking collars were 216-219MHz (with most being 217.000-217.999MHz at first, due to very limited frequency coverage of receivers).
Oh, how times have changed, eh?

 

[kb4cvn]

...Now that game wardens are encrypted
73/Allen (N4JRI)

Not all of the game warden traffic is encrypted (It may be up there, but I've heard them in the clear in the Roanoke Valley area).

I have heard most Game Warden comms in the clear in the Amherst, Bedford area, both conventional and on STARS.

Also, DGIF has an unencrypted (ProVoice IMBE) talkgroup on the CVRCS regional EDACS system for several years. TGID 891.

 

[tglendye]

I have heard most Game Warden comms in the clear in the Amherst, Bedford area, both conventional and on STARS.

Also, DGIF has an unencrypted (ProVoice IMBE) talkgroup on the CVRCS regional EDACS system for several years. TGID 891.

Region 4 (Shenandoah, Rockingham, Page, Augusta areas) seems to encrypt all the time. On my GRE radios it was so annoying that I kept them locked out. On the bcd496hp, I have not heard any DGIF traffic while monitoring STARS. I have seen the scanner stop on the game warden TG's a few times, and then continue scanning as it mutes and skips encryption.

I did hear a game warden in the clear a while back. I asked another one that I know, and he told me he had made a mistake a forgot to encrypt...

 

[GmanX]

Marine radio around my way is called the Bambi band.

 

[kb4cvn]

Marine radio around my way is called the Bambi band.

Priceless !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[HankFrank]

Yeah if you want to hear hunters any time during deer season just scan the Marine band. Around here they wised up and now use channels higher up in the band, but not too long ago I heard them on the lower ones. I actually heard the coast guard run them off of channel 22 once I think. 65, 66, 68, 69 seem to be popular.

I live in a pretty rural area and I can hear them from before sunrise well into the night on Saturdays.

I hear the same guys who hunt the same areas use the same channel from year to year now.

I also hear others on FRS and MURS from time to time, but those being much lower power it's not very often.

They were on the 2 meter ham band sporadically here too but local hams made their lives hell whenever they would show up. So they switched to marine I guess because it's "less crowded."